Bright House to speed up Orange schools' Internet

Bright House Networks on Tuesday announced a deal to connect all of Orange County's public school campuses through broadband and boost Internet speeds.

The fiber-optic network, which goes live July 1, will provide the district's 182 campuses and other locations with high-speed connections capable of handling heavy bandwidth demands usually required by video, audio and other hefty data transfers.

The $10.7 million, three-year contract replaces the existing services provided by Education Networks of America. The Bright House Networks contract saves the district about $2 million annually that they would have invested in upgrading the current network, officials said.

Faster broadband means that Orange County's 181,000-plus students, many using digital tools such as smartphones, tablets and laptops connected to the district's Internet in their daily curriculum, will wait less time for video and audio content to upload and send.

"Orange County Public Schools continue to invest in technologies that will help us deliver the best education possible to our students," said Michael Eugene, the district's chief operating officer, in a release issued by Bright House Networks.

District spokeswoman Kathy Marsh said that under the new contract, Bright House Networks will boost existing 10MB speed connections across the district's elementary schools to 100MB. The district's high school football fields also will offer visitors Wi-Fi service.

Officials at the telecommunications company will manage and monitor the network, providing a secure firewall that will filter content and prevent unauthorized access that could compromise sensitive student information.

School districts across are the state are racing to improve their existing Internet and Wi-Fi networks so they can meet a mandate requiring them to provide students with digital textbooks that connect to the web by 2015.

While students are guaranteed a high-speed Internet connection on campus, many do not have access to the Internet at home. Bright House Networks and other cable providers will offer high-speed Internet access this year for a monthly fee of $9.95 to low-income families.